Bargain-hunter Brits will be spending £1.4 billion at the January sales this year, according to research released today. Over 11 million people will battle with the crowds, spending an average of £130. Seventy six per cent of adults will trawl the shops for up to five hours to find the perfect bargain. The top three sales purchases will be shoes, clothes and gadgets.
Men tend to be the better at planning the whole operation to spend the least possible time at the shops. Thirty per cent will know exactly what they want to buy before the sales start and 17% set themselves a maximum spending limit. In comparison just 18% of women will do their sales homework beforehand and 8% will set themselves a spending limit. Women are also far more likely to queue outside stores to wait for the opening - not one man said that they would.
The research released by Travelodge identified that we are now very much focused on the logistics of a sales shopping spree with over 2 million* of the population staying in a hotel the night before. One in ten women will get an early night to ensure they gain prime position in the sales queue.
Travelodge's Director of Communications, Greg Dawson said; "We have seen a major increase in reservations over the sales period this year, particularly in city centre locations. Some guests are up extremely early for the start of the sales and they tend to pop back to their rooms mid morning to offload their bags and start again".
The high street is the big favourite with 69% women and 66% of men preferring to shop there rather than out of town shopping complexes. The top five city centre shopping destinations are:
London
Birmingham
Glasgow
Manchester
Leeds
Impulse buying regularly gets the better of us, with 15% of shoppers admitting to buying something that they did not really want or need simply because it was reduced. Women were twice as likely as men to suffer from this ill advised spend and clothing was the most commonly regretted buy.
Top Tips for getting the best from the January sales:
- Plan your level of spending and avoid impulse buys
- Develop a shopping plan, consider location, parking, transport and timings
- Get a good night's sleep beforehand
- Your emotions affect your shopping. Be careful of the 'I deserve it' mentality.
- Stock up on items that you will need throughout the year like Birthday presents when prices are reduced.
- Shop alone as others can encourage you to buy more
- Know your prices, to ensure you are getting a good bargain
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Shakila Ahmed
PR Manager
Telephone: 07802 702 499
Notes to Editor:
Research by 72 point surveyed 2000 UK adults in December 2005.
* Actual figure is 2,228148 or 4.6% of Brits. Statistics based on 48,438,000 UK adults
Travelodge was the first budget hotel brand to launch in the UK in 1985 and currently has 290 hotels across the UK with the majority in city centres, near attractions and airports.
Room rates start from £10, book online at www.travelodge.co.uk